Shock absorber



" Jan, 101 1928. 1,655,443

' A. THOMAS SHOCK ABSORBER Filed March 8. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor H g t 77zqm Marne Jan. 10, 1928.

A. THOMAS SHOCK ABSORBER Filed March 8. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 /nvenz0r: Hug Z 7 mas B fine 'Jan. 10, 1928. 1,655,443

A. THOMAS SHOCK ABSORBER Filed Maroh 8. 1926 v 3 Sheets-Sheet. 5

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Patented Jan. 10, 1928.

UNITED. STATES} PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST THOMASy OF BERLIN-S TEGLI TZ, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

TO CARI; voN HARYES.

swK S BER-j Application filed March 8, 192 6, Serial No 93 ,1 li,am1 in Germany June 27, 19 2 5.

This invention relatesto shock absorbers, which are used for the purpose ofda nping out suddenly arising shocks, especially shocks which by reason of the unevenness II of the roadway are being transmitted to the frame of automobiles or other road vehicles.

According to this invention a casing of helical conformation is secured to the frame of the vehicle and a laminated plate 10 spring is inserted with one of] its'ends into this casing, while the other end of said spring is connected to a band, which is carried aroundthe casing and eventually also around a roller secured to the vehicle frame and connected at its free end to the axle of the vehicle. If now. the tension of the main or supporting spring of the vehicle is reduced by a depression in the roadway, so that the distance between the axle and the frame of the vehicle isv increased, a pull will be exerted upon the band and its rearward end which is connected with the outer end of the springwill push the spring into the casing. A strong braking action will thus be obtained by reason of the main or supporting spring being forcibly subjected to fiexure. If. the main or supporting spring of the vehicle is again compressed, the opposite operation will take place. I 11 In the drawings there is representedas an example a shock absorber according to this invention Fig. 1 being a side view showing I the interior of the new shock absorber, Fig. 2 a rear view taken on' Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a udetail view of the helical casingj Figs. 4: and 5 serve for explaining the operationof the device, Fig. 6 shows a modification of the device according to Figs. 1 and 2, while Figs. 7 and 8 are sections through a further 1 modification of thedevice shown in Figs. 1 to 3. The same reference numerals indicate the same devices throughout the sev- I oral figures of the drawing.

Secured to the vehicle frame 10 is a casingv 11 of helical conformation as shown in detail in Fig. 3, a bolt 12 being preferably used for fastening said casing tothe frame. Alaniinate'd plate spring 13 is inserted into the casing .11, the outwardly projectingend 13 of said spring beingconnected; to aclip let. A band 15 is fastened atone of its ends 15' to said clip, said band beingoarried. over a guidingroller 16 around the.

casing 11, and passing'freely through said clip which it may be guided by a guid 'guidingthe band 15 ingroller 16', At its other end 15' the band 15fis laid around theaxlel7 of the vehicle, The casing 11 is surrounded by a cap 18 for protect ng the caslng against en trance of dust or the like.

Figs. 4 and 5 show tlie operation of the device. If the distance betweenfthe vehicle frame 10 (Fig. 4) landf ll? Male 17 of the vehicle isincreased, theend 15"f (Fig. 1) of the band 15 will be drawn towards thecasing and therewith also the clip 14 brought nearer the casing. This clip therefore will move theend 13 ofthelarninated plate spring 13 inupward direction and thereby cause thesp'ring to enter into the casing. The spring will thus bejforcibly .bent; this forced bending resulting in a strongbraking action. l I i If the axle 17 of the vehicle againapproaches the frame ofthe vehicle 10 (Fig. 5); the spring will againreturn to its normal stretched condition. I f

This procedure of the spring, via-the al ternate bending and stretching of the spring andthe alternate motion ofthe spring into and outof the casing will continue as long as the vehicle is travelling. over an uneven road. The modification of the shock absorber according to Fig. 6 dine s-fro the device shown in Figs. 1 to 5. only the n ode of According to Figlfi the band 15 passes from the axle 17 over the "roller 16 directly to the clip 14 (Fig. 1), which is fi mly on nected to the outer end ofT the spring 13. The frictional. effect between'the band 15 andtlie helical surface ofthe casingfll' in the construction according to Fig. I isthere fore not present in the modification accord ing to Fig. 6, I

. In the further modification of the shock absorber according to Figs. 7 and 8 the laminated plate spring 18.. is fully concealed avithin the. casing 11 and will therefore be effectively protected against soiling, rusting and the like. For this purposethe helical casing 11 is made of, oval; helical form and provided with ajslotijl Sl at. its underside, The belt. 191 may move within this s'lot,, said bolt coniiecting the endv13. ofjthe laminated, plate sprin'gl with the" end 15.. of,

the hand 15. "The latter, is carried around the casing 11 and again securedat' its are.

15 to the axle of the vehicle;

The operation of the device may also be seen from Figs. '7 and S. If the distance between the vehicle frame 10 and the axle 17 of the vehicle is increased,'the band 15 will be pulled out of the casing 11, and since the end of the band is connected with the end of the spring 13 by means of the bolt 19, the spring will be inserted into the casing which is provided with proper guiding surfaces. In this way the bending of the spring is forcibly brought about, andthe desired braking action will take place. If afterwards the distance between the vehicle frame and the axle decreases (Fig. 8) the spring willagain be stretched.

The modification according to Figs. 7 and 8 is of advantage on account of the fact that the spring will be protected against soiling. In addition to this the oval form of the casing will adapt itself better to the form of the vehicle frame and may be manufactured more easily.

As may be seen from the foregoing the braking or shock-absorbing action of the spring 13 takes place only, if the distance between the axle of the vehicle andthe vehicle frame is increased, that is if the tension of the main spring of the vehicle is reduced. This is due to the fact that the spring 13 is pressed or pushed into the helical casing, whereby the said spring will be forced to bend, thus causing the braking or shockabsorbing action. On the other hand, if the axle of the. vehicle again approaches the frame of the vehicle, the spring 13 will come out of the casing by its tendency to stretch, whereby no braking or shock-absorbing action will take place. This feature of the shock absorber according to this invention results in especial advantages, because the main spring of the vehicle which is put under tension during approaching of the axle and the frame of the vehicle is so designed, that it. will properly take up the strain caused. thereby.

In the modification according to Figs. 1 to 5 and Figs. 7 and 8, moreover, the braking or shock-absorbing action of the spring 13 will be further augi'nentcd, by the action of the band 15, which is pulled out of the helical casing over the surface thereof. Thus the friction between the band 15 and the surface of the casing 11, which takes place during approaching of the vehicle axle and the frame, will exert a strong braking or shock absorbing effect in addition to that caused by the bending of the spring 13.

This braking or shock absorbing effect of the band llihwill disappear during the opposite motion. that is'if the distance between the axle and the frame of the vehicle is increasing; the casing 11., however, is not utilized as a,

Thefriction between theband 15 and braking or shock absorbing feature according to the construction shown in Fig. 6. In this case the band 15 is not carried around the casing 11 and only lead around the guiding roller 16.

hat I claim is:

1. A shock absorber for automobiles or other road vehicles, comprising a helical casing, a spring mounted within said casing and having the tendency to come out of the casing, a band connecting said spring to the axle of the vehicle, said band being adapted to press said spring, into said casing if the axle of the vehicle and the frame thereof are moving away from each other, substan tially as described and for the purposes set forth.

2. A shock absorber for automobiles or other road vehicles. comprising a helical. casing. a spring within the helical surface of said casing, a band laid around the outer surface of said casing, one end of said band being connected to the end of said spring projecting from said casing, the other end of said band. being adapted to be fastened to an axle of the vehicle.

3. A shock absorber. as specified by claim 1, having a clip provided at the end of the spring which projects from the casing, one end of the band being connected to said clip and the other end being freely passed through said clip at a point in front of the extreme other end of said band, which may be fastened to an axle of the vehicle.

at. A shock absorber for automobiles or other road vehicles, comprising a helical easing, a spring mounted withinsaid casing and having the tendency to come out of the casing, a band laid around the outer surface of said casing, at the outer end of said spring, one end of said band being connected to said clip and the other end being freely passed through said clip and connected to an axle of the vehicle, and roller mounted on said casing at apoint near the end of said band which is connected to said clip, said roller being adapted to serve as a guiding ineansfor said band for keeping the same in better frictional contact with the outer surface o t said casing.

5. A shock absorber according to claim l, wherein the band passes from the clip around the roller, thereupon along the outer surface of the casing, through said clip to an axle of the vehicle.

(i. A shock absorber, as specified by claim 1, having a cap which surrounds the helical easing, said cap serving for protecting said casing against soiling or the like.

Intestiniony whereof I have allixed my signature.

' AUGUST c nemas. 

